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Meal prep is so much easier with this Vegan Chicken in the fridge! This high-protein, homemade seitan recipe is juicy, succulent, and surprisingly easy to make. If you've never had seitan before, it's a chewy, meaty vegan chicken substitute that tastes way better than anything store-bought. Make a batch ahead of time and keep it in the fridge or freezer for quick, satisfying meals all week.
FEATURED COMMENT:
This is the BEST seitan I've ever had and I make this recipe frequently. I freeze the tenders in packs of two and make a different marinade for each pack. - Saraswati ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
After the popularity of my Vegan Seitan Steak, which ended up starting a love of making seitan, I got a lot of requests for a seitan version of a vegan chicken recipe. Well, ask and you shall receive. I introduce to you my Vegan Chicken! ...And yes, it does taste like chicken. Ba dum dum tsk!
What is Seitan?
Seitan (pronounced say-tan) is a high-protein, meat-like food made from vital wheat gluten, the protein-rich part of wheat. When mixed with liquid and cooked, it becomes chewy, firm, and savory, making it one of the best vegan meat alternatives out there.
It's been used for centuries in Asian cuisines and is sometimes called wheat meat or mock duck. In this recipe, we turn it into juicy, tender vegan chicken you can use in everything from stir-fries to sandwiches to sheet pan dinners.
Bonus: It's budget-friendly, freezer-friendly, protein-packed and WAY more delicious than most store-bought options.
Why You'll Love This Vegan Chicken Recipe
Store-bought vegan chicken is often rubbery, bland, or packed with additives, and it's pricey. This homemade version is juicy, tender, packed with flavor, and budget-friendly.
- Juicy and succulent. No dry spongey seitan here! I've balanced the ingredients and flavors in this vegan chicken recipe so it turned out tender and delicious.
- Easy to make. Just 8 ingredients, and most of the work is hands off. I love batch cooking this and stocking my freezer full of plant-based chicken!
- Great for meal prep. This recipe can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the fridge for several days, or in the freezer so you can have vegan chicken on hand whenever you like.
- Perfect swap for any chicken recipe. Once steamed and cooled, you can swap this into any of your favorite chicken recipes. My favorite way to enjoy it? Marinate the tenders overnight, then pan-fry until golden. Chef's kiss.
- A wholesome alternative. 1 batch makes 6 cutlets and each one contains 156 calories, 8g carbohydrates, 26g protein, and 2g fat.
Ingredients:
- Vital wheat gluten: Vital wheat gluten is wheat flour with most of the starch removed (leaving behind almost pure wheat protein)! It is an ancient process, and this wheat protein is what makes seitan have that meaty texture. Unfortunately, there is no substitute. And that means this recipe cannot be made gluten-free. For a vegan gluten-free chicken-inspired recipe try my Baked Tofu Bites.
- Soft or silken tofu: This gives the seitan a juicy, tender texture. Be sure to measure carefully and use the right tofu type, firm or extra-firm will make the seitan too dense.
- Seasonings: Nutritional yeast, onion powder, vegetable broth powder or bouillon, garlic powder, and salt make it taste like chicken. (Do I need to change the name of my blog now?)
How To Make Vegan Chicken
- Combine: Add all of the ingredients to a food processor.
- Process: Turn on the food processor and mix the dough until it forms a ball.
- Shape: Turn the dough out onto a surface lightly floured with vital wheat gluten. Divide into 6 pieces and shape each into an oval.
- Steam: Add the vegan chicken to a greased steamer basket set over simmering water. Cover and steam for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through the cooking time.
- Cool. Allow the vegan chicken to cool to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerate for an hour before using; if you'd like, you can chill it in a marinade for extra flavor. (Check out my recipes for 12 Seitan or Tofu Marinades for endless flavor combos!)
- Cook. The world is your oyster! Use this vegan chicken any way you'd use chicken breast. In these photos, I fried them in a bit of vegan butter, and seasoned with salt, black pepper, parsley, and a squeeze of lemon. This makes the outside crispy and the inside stays tender and juicy.
Tips for Perfect Seitan Chicken
- No food processor? Use a bowl. It takes a little more work, but it's still easy! Just the ingredients to a bowl and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until the dough forms a ball.
- Make any shape you like. You can shape the seitan into small bites or nuggets, make the seitan into a big slab to slice and pan-fry, whatever! Just keep in mind that shapes that are thicker will take more time to steam.
- Cook in batches if needed. Seitan expands while steaming, so leave space in the basket or cook in batches.
- Make them extra chicken-y. You can mix poultry seasoning into the seitan mixture and/or use a vegan chicken bouillon instead of vegetable. (Poultry seasoning doesn't actually contain any poultry, it just has herbs and spices often used with chicken!)
How to Use This Vegan Chicken
Think of this like your plant-based chicken breast, you can marinate it, grill it, fry it, roast it, or slice it into your favorite recipes. Try it in stir-fries, sandwiches, tacos, salads, pasta dishes, or even breaded as vegan nuggets. I personally love it pan-fried with one of these marinades (my favorite is the sweet & smoky), or chopped up in my Vegan Chicken Caesar Salad.
How to Store
- Refrigerator: Refrigerate this vegan chicken in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: To freeze the seitan, let it cool completely and then transfer it an airtight freezer bag or container. If you'd like, you can freeze it in a marinade.
More Vegan Chicken Recipes You Might Like:
- Buttermilk Fried Oyster Mushrooms
- The Quickest and Easiest Seitan Recipe (Vegan Chicken)
- Vegan Chicken (Washed Flour Seitan)
- Vegan Chicken Wings
- Vegan Orange Chicken
If you try this vegan chicken recipe, let us know by leaving a comment, rating it, and don't forget to tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
(click stars to vote)
Vegan Chicken (Seitan)
This homemade Vegan Chicken is juicy, flavorful and easy to make. It's a meal prep staple you can use in so many different ways!
Servings:
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Ingredients
For the vegan seitan tenders:
- 1 ½ cups vital wheat gluten, plus more for dusting
- 1 block (10.6oz/ 300g) soft or silken tofu, (1 ¼ cups)
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons vegetable broth powder, vegetable instant stock mix powder, or 1 vegetable bouillon cube
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add the vital wheat gluten, tofu, water, nutritional yeast, onion powder, vegetable broth powder, garlic powder, and salt to a food processor and pulse to combine until everything is well mixed and the dough forms a ball. *Alternatively, if you do not have a food processor in a large bowl mash the tofu using a potato masher until smooth. Add the water, nutritional yeast, onion powder, vegetable broth powder, garlic powder, and salt and mix. Lastly, mix in the vital wheat gluten to form a dough.
- Lightly dust a clean work surfaces with a bit of the vital wheat gluten. Turn the dough ball onto the surface and lightly dust the top with a little more vital wheat gluten. The dough will be soft and very sticky so this will help it from sticking to your hands. Do not knead the dough, kneading it will make it tough. Cut the dough ball into 6 pieces and use the tips of your fingers to press each piece of dough into an oval shape about 5" x 6".
- Add several inches of water to a large pot with a steamer basket and bring to a gentle simmer. Lightly grease the steamer basket and lay the tenders in the basket. If the tenders need to overlap each other, spray the tenders with a bit of oil to stop them from sticking together. Cover and steam at a gentle simmer for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through or until the seitan's internal temperature reaches at least 160°F (71°C) when tested with an instant-read thermometer. If the temperature goes higher, that's perfectly fine-you can't really oversteam seitan.
- Once steamed, remove the tenders and let cool. Cover or put in an airtight container and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour, or for up to 3 - 4 days. You can either chill the tenders without any additional seasoning, or you could toss the tenders in your favourite marinade. The tenders shrink and firm up a bit when chilled and this results in the best texture.
- Once chilled, the tenders are fully cooked and edible, but you can now treat them as you would raw chicken -season and cook them as you desire. The cooking time can be short as they only need to be heated through but prepare them any way that you might prepare a chicken breast. Pan fry or grill them, bread or crust them, slice them for salad, pasta, or stirfry, cut them into nuggets, add them to burritos, tacos, or sandwiches. The options are endless!* Learn my secret tricks to making perfect seitan in my free masterclass. Click here to learn more and register.
Notes
Shape of tenders: if the end appearance of the tenders is important to you, make sure to allow lots of room around each tender to expand. You may want to steam the tenders in batches as when they overlap each other they can sometimes end up as weird shapes. This won't matter if you plan on slicing them, but you can consider it if you plan to serve the tenders whole.
Oil-free: for oil-free you can skip greasing the steamer basket and tenders. The tenders will expand and stick together when steaming and may tear when you try to separate them, but the end result will still be equally delicious. 🙂
Freezing: to freeze the tenders, let them cool completely before freezing. Freeze in an airtight freezer bag or container. You can freeze them plain or in the marinade of your choice.
Vital wheat gluten is essential to this recipe, and there is no substitute. Therefore this recipe cannot be made gluten-free. For a vegan gluten-free chicken inspired recipe try my Baked Tofu Bites recipe.
Steaming tips: you need to steam the seitan tenders before using them. I recommend getting a steamer pot if you plan to make seitan often, or you can use a DIY method if you do not have a steamer.
Cleaning tips: vital wheat gluten is very sticky and can destroy dish brushes and cloths. So what I like to do is save old clothes, sheets, or towels that are too shabby to donate, and cut them into rags. I use these rags to clean up after preparing a seitan recipe and discard the rag once finished.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving (recipe makes 6 servings) | Calories: 159kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Sodium: 486mg | Potassium: 187mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 2mg
⭐ Did You Make This Recipe?
I'd love if you left a rating and comment, it helps others find the recipe and makes my day! 💕
J O says
Hey, I love this recipe. Is there any way to make this without tofu?
JH says
I really hope so, I was just about to comment this.
JO says
In the seitan steak recipe on this website, they use cooked lentils instead of tofu. I made this recipe subsituting in 90g dry lentils after cooking them.
It turned out pretty well! No major difference in taste. Although, if you usually knead the dough, do it less so when making it with lentils - it's a lot firmer than the tofu version.
Sonya says
Wow the photo looks like actual chicken breast. Cant wait to try this one. Ty
linda myers says
Hi Sam, I was just reading in your cookbook on 'roll with the punches!' A recipe failing and renaming it and I started cracking up!! I made this recipe the first time and it came out GREAT! Well the second...not so much. I put them on to steam and went outside to water plants and got distracted. Next thing you know my pot went dry and burnt 🙁 I was going to throw out the puffed up dry rubbery mess but my husband can't waste anything and said he'd take them to work. He used them like bread, said they weren't rubbery and was calling them naan. He actually asked me to make them like that again!! I said 'no' LOL
Thanks for the laugh!
linnie
Sam Turnbull says
Hahaha! I love that! Seitan bread ? 🙂
Scott Hipkins says
Sam,
You mention in the video that you are often asked about gluten-free seitan. I have had some success with pea protein - I noticed that many fake meat products are made with pea protein.
I bought it online - it is sold as a powdered protein shake (just be sure to get the unflavored type). I'm sure that your fearless experimentation will yield great results - please keep me posted.
Cheers
Scott
Marla O says
An absolute staple in our kitchen! I always have a recipe of them in a ziploc bag in the freezer in the smoky-spicy marinade. So many ways to use them...well, just like a chicken breast! Only change from the recipe is I process everything except the gluten in the blender and then add the gluten by hand in a bowl.
John says
Great recipe. I was also thinking to wrap the entire dough in aluminum and roast it in the oven.
Have you tried that as well?
The moisture/gluten ratio seems okay for that but I am not sure...
Britt says
Sam, this is an amazing recipe. The key, as you state, is MINIMAL mixing in the food processor. I mixed the wet ingredients first before adding the vital wheat gluten. My German partner loved it. Tomorrow, we will Schnitzel-ize it! Amazing. Thank you!
Izzi says
These were excellent! And I found were especially good after freezing with the marinade (I tried the sweet and smoky -delish.) I have to say you have THE best recipes for meat alternatives, plus so easy and simple. It's been saving me a ton of $'s over already prepared brand name stuff at the store.
Sara says
Hi Sam quick question. The tenders need to be completely chilled before doing the marinade? I ask because in the video, while putting them in the ziplock, you say: "The tenders are still a bit warm from the steamer and this is perfectly fine". So...which one is the best way? And once they've been marinaded for how many days can they be stored in the fridge before cooking? Thanks so much!
Sherry says
I really like this recipe. This is the second time I've made this and I've adjusted it slightly as I dont have a food processor and it didn't mix well last time. I put the whole 300g package of tofu and the tiny bit of liquid that was inside into a bowl with everything except the vwg and used a hand mixer until it was all combined then I added the vwg and mixed with a spoon until I needed to use my hands. After I cut it into pieces I steamed for 30min flipping halfway then put on a drying rack for like 5-10minutes until it was cool enough to handle. I cut into straps and will freeze them after they sit in the fridge overnight. This time all the spices were evenly distributed. I also used a tsp of no-chicken bouillon instead of vegetable bouillon. Worked out great!!!!
Kate Robertson says
once frozen do you need to defrost in fridge before using?
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
We do recommend defrosting before cooking for the best results. Best method would be to transfer the seitan from the freezer to the fridge the day before you want to use it so if thaws overnight. Hope that helps!
Terry says
These are awesome and really easy to make. I have been recommending these to everyone.
AccidentallyVeganDee says
Wow! That's all I have to say!
Ok, no it's not... 😛
Made this recipe as chicken chunks or nuggets. I just filled my tummy with such deliciousness, I had to come back and tell you. I coated the nuggets with taco sauce. Yes, taco sauce! Then I dredged them in panko crumbs and air fried them.
Holy CRAP!! It felt like a sinfully decadent treat, but it was really minimal in the macros. Freaking brilliant!! This recipe is my new go to for protein (along with the steaks. Mmmmmm, the steaks.).
Helen Singleton says
I don't have a steamer, what can I use instead?
Debbie says
Do you have a metal colander Helen? If so, place over a pot of boiling water and steam. Or, use a veggie steamer, ($2) and steam in batches.
HELEN says
I do have a metal colander. Thanks for the tip! Can't wait to make this
Kristyn says
We've been vegan for a year this month and I've only just gotten brave enough to make seitan. I made this recipe and not only was it incredibly easy, but we also absolutely loved it. My husband was so impressed and I love how easy it was to marinade and toss a few in a skillet for dinner a few days later. Silken tofu is a little bit hard to find where we are, so next time I make it I'm going to just use regular firm tofu and see how it turns out. Thank you for a great recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful!! Thrilled you both love it, Kristyn! I love to make a double batch and have a bunch frozen in different marinades in the freezer. Perfect for easy dinners!
Bianca Neves says
I'm not a big fan of seitan. I can always taste the vital wheat gluten, which is something I don't like. But this recipe along with your Sweet&Smoky marinade was delicious! I wouldn't say it can fool someone as chicken, but who cares? It's packed with protein and delicious! A perfect vegan alternative.
Although the texture is really close to chicken, I must say!
I still have 4 more waiting for me in the fridge: 2 in the Italian marinade, 2 in the Balsamic marinade.
What a treat! Thanks, Sam! ♥
raisa says
Hi!
I would love to start making seitan and saw this one in a group. A girl made it and said that it's amazing. It looks easy enough for a beginner. I don't have a food processor yet (shopping for one). So if I don't have it by Christmas, how do I mix it? With a mixer with dough hooks?
I look forward to your reply.
Cheers,
Raisa
Kristine says
Mine came out spongy, almost bread like. What might I have done wrong?
Hirley says
I really like this recipe, with the caveat that the cutlets are extremely chewy if not marinated or simmered.
I've found that simmering them for 40 minutes before the final cook makes a nice texture. But just steaming and chilling them before cooking results in a very chewy final product.
Felicia Clayton says
I made this for the first time today. And its made the cut to become one of my staples for sure!
I do have a question. Should I have pressed the tofu first? Initially the dough was WAY too thin to work with. But I added a bit more Vital wheat gluten until I was able to work with it. And even then it was very soft. So much so that I was worried it wouldn't hold together while moving to the steamer.
Not only did it hold, they were tasty right out of the steamer. I shared pictures of the end results on facebook.They looked so good my mom the meat eater came over to try it.
I marinaded two cutlets in the coconut curry, heated it up in my grill pan and we had it over salad. She NEVER likes mock meats. But this she ate with a smile.
Ren says
This was the third time I've tried making seitan, and the first time it hasn't turned out like boot leather. I was eating strips of it as soon as it came out of the steamer - the texture and taste are both great! I used it in a stir fry, and my husband declared it a winner, too.
I then got excited and made the seitan pepperoni, which is also delicious, so I can't wait to try more of your seitan recipes.
Hail seitan and Sam!
Allie says
Perhaps I'm biased because this was the first seitan recipe I ever tried, but it's my favorite. I try three of the marinades each time I make a batch, and so far they've all been delicious. I love that it freezes well, because I cook for just myself and am also frequently lazy. It's nice to be able to put extra in the freezer, and have something so yummy on hand when I don't feel like doing much more than tossing something in a pan (though I do have to think ahead enough to thaw it out first).
Kimberly Pickard says
So I gave this a try. Followed the directions closely, soaked 2 of the patties in the balsamic marinade from Sunday to Tuesday. I fried them in the pan as Sam suggests, 2 minutes each side. The flavor from the marinade was good but the texture was not pleasant. They had a rubbery consistency to them, not hard and super chewy like you're chewing forever but still a soft rubbery chew. They weren't really enjoyable to eat. What should I do different? I made a double batch so I have 10 more to go. I put 2 more in the Italian marinade so we will probably grill those and see if that helps, then the rest I froze. I am kind of discouraged. Ideas?
Deb says
I made these and the first time they were delicious and tender, but the other four times they were much too chewy! Dying to figure out why. I wonder if it has to do with how much the "dough" is mixed - but I did try to mix as little as possible. I think it does say not to work the dough too much or they will be chewy.
Sam Turnbull says
Yes, mixing the dough too much will make them chewy. I also find they get more tender the longer they marinate in the fridge. It also depends on how you're heating them when ready to serve, I like to pan fry mine, and then let them rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving. I hope that helps!